Mild Month & A Short History

Our Maggs’ Magnificent Mild was one of the first brews we did. The story goes that Morrell’s Brewery closed and subsequently stopped producing their Mild, and so Jack Macaulay from The Bell Inn, Aldworth asked Dave Maggs to make one himself. To which Dave replied ‘OK’ and there you have it! Our most award winning ale was named by Jack himself one lunchtime in the taproom of The Bell.

Maggs’ Magnificent Mild – Deliciously dark mild. Full of roast malt flavours coupled with a smooth mouth feel and a gentle sweetness. Almost black in colour. Notes of roast and caramel on the nose. Malty taste with a balanced bitterness. On offer in the shop and online from today and throughout May for Mild Month. £1.50/Bottle – £8/Case of 6 – £15/Case of 12.

Although nowadays we don’t see Mild around much, it’s still got a place within the beer world. When you think of Mild I’m guessing it conjures up images of mature men, perhaps coal miners and working mens’ clubs. You’re right about at least one of those, coal miners and labourers did drink it after a hard days work! Mild originated in Britain back in the 17th Century, or possibly even earlier, as a malty ale. It tended to be a ‘young beer’ or an ale that hadn’t been aged thus it didn’t have that stale tang you found oftentimes. The modern ABV is relatively low, nowadays a Mild is around 3-3.6%, but when it was first brewed it was considerably higher at 5.5-7%. Breweries used to brew three or four different Milds, they would range from strong (XXXX) to weak (X) until the ABV dropped in the late 19th Century during the first world war. At this point in time breweries dropped the ABV of Mild to concentrate on making stronger beer and make more profit (strong beer was exempt from price controls during the war). There was a strong decline in the late 1960’s and Mild nearly disappeared, but a few breweries still made it and still do. It’s becoming more popular again as a style of beer, helped along by Mild Month in May, something that was started by CAMRA.

It doesn’t have to be dark, there’s also light Mild. It’s much the same but lighter in colour, there is somewhat of an overlap between weak bitter and light mild. The classification of a Mild or Bitter changes depending on what people are drinking and what’s in fashion at the time. Modern day Milds have a low gravity (ABV) , are ‘mildly’ hopped, dark and malty. Although they can be lighter in colour and stronger! They can range from a dark amber to almost black, they have a light body, a subdued hop character (although they can also be quite bitter) and a malty, roasty flavour. They may even have a slight toffee/butterscotch flavour (diacetyl) but for this style of beer that isn’t unsuitable.

Food pairings for Dark Mild:

Strong Cheddar

Grilled Peppers

Stuffed Mushrooms

Pork Shoulder

Pâté

Bread Pudding

Food Pairings for Light Mild:

Comté/Hard, Nutty Cheese

Grilled Fish

Pizza

Turkey

Milk Chocolate

Mild is something to savour, with a light body and smooth mouth feel, the aromas should bring you malt and roasted barley. The taste could be caramel, malty and/or roasty with a delicate sweetness and possibly a light hoppiness. You’re sure to find something you like, get experimenting today!